Animated doll for moving head and eyes in synchronism



March 29, 1966 P. HENRY 3,242,611

ANIMATED DOLL FOR MOVING HEAD AND EYES IN SYNGHRONISM Filed D60. 26, 1963 United States Patent 3,242,611 ANIMATED DOLL FOR MOVING HEAD AND EYES IN SYNCHRONISM Pierre Henry, 15 Ave. de lUniversite, Lausanne, Switzerland Filed Dec. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 333,393 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Nov. 5, 1963, 13,587/ 63 4 Claims. (Cl. 46135) The present invention has for its object a toy having the shape of an animated being, in particular a doll, including a rigid element, secured to the head at the neck and connected to a flexible portion of the body adjacent to the neck, and mechanical means for moving the head in the direction of a cone.

The toy according to the invention is characterized in that each eye is pivotally mounted in a cavity of the head and has a lever extending behind the cavity, in that a flexible connection is secured to the said lever, and in that means are arranged to exert a pull on this connection against a recall force in order to cause the eye to pivot in its cavity in synchronism with the movement of the head.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, a doll constituting the toy object of the present invention.

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view in profile of a preferred embodiment.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a detail.

The doll shown in FIG. 1 includes a rigid element 1 secured to the head 2 at the neck 3 and connected to the flexible body 4 by engaging in a corresponding groove of the element 1. A driving mechanism 6, of which only the case is shown, is mounted inside the body and comprises a winding rod 7 with a handle 8 and a bent driving shaft 9. The element 1 is fixed on the bent porticn of the shaft 9 by means of two tightening rings 11.

During rotation of the shaft 9, the portion 10 describes a cone with the head 2 being moved along this cone from the extreme right position in full lines to the extreme left position in dot and dash lines.

Each eye 12 is pivotally mounted in a cavity 13 of the head 2 and has a lever 14 extending behind the cavity. The end of the lever 14 carries a counterweight 15 serving to recall the said lever 14 downwardly as will be ex plained in further detail later on. A flexible connection 16 is secured at one end to the lever 14 at 17, passes through a return ring 18 situated in the upper portion of the head and is secured at its other end to the element 1.

The bent portion 10 of the driving shaft 9 carries a cam 26 fixed to a sleeve 27 secured by a screw 27 on the bent shaft on one side of the rigid element 1. A stopring 11 holds this element downward. A lever 127 mounted on a support 28 fixed to the element 1 enters into contact with the cam 26 at one end and bears at the other end on the flexible connection 16 through the agency of an eyelet 29 through which passes this connection.

In passing from the position in full lines to the position in dot and dash lines, the cam 26 causes the lever 127 to pivot and pull on the connection 16, one end of which is secured at 30 to the element 1. The pull thus exerted on the connection brings about the movement of the lever 14 and thus the pivoting of the eye 12 from an open position to a closed position. The two eyes open and close in time with, and in synchronism with, the movement of the head.

As shown in FIG. 2, each eye 12 is controlled by a connection 16 or 16 both passing through the return ring 18 and being secured at their free ends to the element 1. The connection 16 could also be secured to the connection 16 between the return ring 18 and the end opposite to that secured to the lever 14.

What I claim is:

1. A doll comprising a body having a flexible portion adjacent the neck of said body, a head, a member connected to said flexible portion securing said head to said neck, means for moving said head along a conical surface comprising a driving shaft having a bent portion on which said member is rotatably mounted, said head having a pair of recesses, an eye rotatably mounted in each recess, a lever secured to each eye extending behind each recess, a counterweight on each of said levers to return said eyes to a predetermined position when said eyes are moved away from such position, a second pivotally mounted lever having a free end and a cam follower end, a cam mounted on said bent portion causing said head to oscillate coacting with the cam follower end of said second lever to cause an amplified movement of the free end of said second lever, a cord for each first lever having one end attached to each first lever and the other end secured to said member, said free end of said second lever operatively connected to each said cord to exert a pull on said cords by pulling them over a sufficiently increased distance to cause the corresponding eye to pivot from a closed position to an open position or vice versa.

2. A doll according to claim 1 wherein said counterweights are located in the upper part of said head, and the other end of said cords are secured to a fixed point relative to said means for moving said head offset relative to the apex of said conical surface.

3. A doll according to claim 1 wherein a return ring is provided situated in the top of the head and said cords for the two eyes pass through said return ring.

4. A doll according to claim 1 wherein said cords have the same length and are both secured to a same point at their other ends.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,029,552 4/1962 Katz 46118 X FOREIGN PATENTS 24,103 8/ 1936 Austria. 294,726 2/ 1954 Switzerland.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS L BQVASSO, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A DOLL COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A FLEXIBLE PORTION ADJACENT THE NECK OF SAID BODY, A HEAD, A MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID FLEXIBLE PORTION SECURING SAID HEAD TO SAID NECK, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID HEAD ALONG A CONICAL SURFACE COMPRISING A DRIVING SHAFT HAVING A BENT PORTION ON WHICH SAID MEMBER IS ROTATABLE MOUNTED, SAID HEAD HAVING A PAIR OF RECESSES, AN EYE ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN EACH RECESS, A LEVER SECURED TO EACH EYE EXTENDING BEHIND EACH RECESS, A COUNTERWEIGHT ON EACH OF SAID LEVERS TO RETURN SAID EYES TO A PREDETERMINED POSITION WHEN SAID EYES ARE MOVED AWAY FROM SUCH POSITION, A SECOND PIVOTALLY MOUNTED LEVER HAVING A FREE END AND A CAM FOLLOWER END, A CAM MOUNTED ON SAID BENT PORTION CAUSING SAID HEAD TO OSCILLATE COACTING WITH THE CAM FOLLOWER END OF SAID SECOND LEVER TO CAUSE AN AMPLIFIED MOVEMENT OF THE FREE END OF SAID SECOND LEVER, A CORD FOR EACH FIRST LEVER HAVING ONE END ATTACHED TO EACH FIRST LEVER AND THE OTHER END SECURED TO SAID MEMBER, SAID FREE END OF SAID SECOND LEVER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH SAID CORD TO EXERT A PULL ON SAID CORDS BY PULLING THEM OVER A SUFFICIENTLY INCREASED DISTANCE TO CAUSE THE CORRESPONDING EYE TO PIVOT FROM A CLOSED POSITION TO AN OPEN POSITION OR VICE VERSA. 